I’m going right in and tell you a few hacks that can save your life. Ok.. probably not really but you may like them.

STARBUCKS double shot:
Ask for either a dopio or Quad (4 shots omg) over coffee ice.
Add either Sugar free vanilla syrup or a splenda packet.
Add either coconut milk or almond milk or skim.
BOOM.. The drink that keeps giving. The coffee ice is like “second drink”

Muscle Eggs
Muscle Eggs is super popular among the fit girl set. I liked it when I purchased it. But.. I had a couple issues. First of all.. the containers are huge and barely fit in my fridge. I had to keep the other ones frozen and that was tough because of all the halo top in my freezer. No room. So there is that.

They are pricey which is fine because they taste great.. but I got bored!

Hack. I made my own.
Start at Costco or Sams and buy pourable egg whites by the case. They are between 6-8 bucks for a whole case of 6 boxes. That’s a lot of egg whites.
You can use any sugar free coffee syrup for and mix with your whites. You will have lots of flavor choices and won’t be stuck with one gallon of the same.

You can drink Muscle Eggs and you can also drink pourable whites with coffee syrup. You can mix them into your protein shake to make it creamy. You can make pancakes or mug cakes too. You can go to MuscleEggs.com and use their recipes with your own concoctions!!

You can search for “Sugar Free Coffee syrup” and get lots of options.
You can also find them at stores like
Bed Bath And Beyond
Home Goods
Marshals
TJ Maxx
World Market always has a good selection.
Amazon is for sure going to have what you want!

Party time:
Order this and never look back.
Jordan’s Skinny Mixes are Zero macros. That’s P:-0 C0 F0
They are great! They are fun and exciting! So if you have to be Faux Drinking, you can make this happen with club soda and some garnishes! Take the macros for your hooch but at least you will be feeling sassy!
You can search Jordan’s Skinny Mixers online to find them.
Bed Bath And Beyond has lots of amazing Jordan’s Skinny products

Well.. that’s a giant bucket of OMG! How do you count that??? I count it as DGAF.

The question I received today was

“UGH.. do I have to count macros forever?”

The answer is “Yes and sort of yes and no-ish.”

Let me explain:
Your body counts macros whether you count them or not. If you are fluffy, it is because you are eating in a surplus. If you are drinking that giant margarita you know you are going to feel accountable for that in some manner. That is surplus for sure!!

IIFYM/Macro counting is not a diet. It is simply a way to eat well and achieve your physique goals while enjoying the foods YOU like.. So if you want to achieve your physique goals, yes.. for sure you will have to count them. However..

The progression of macro counting is fantastic. The longer you do it, the more comfortable you may feel with “Intuitive dieting”

Intuitive dieting is basically eating your macros and doing math in your head. Simply understanding that you have a certain amount of Protein, Carbs and Fat and fiber to hit and are able to do that fairly easily.

Example: I had a Quest bar.. that was 25g protein, 27C and 8g F. Iced coffee with it that’s an extra 10g protein… etc. I’m doing math in my head. It starts to actually become a natural thing the longer you do it. This works great when you are traveling. I have found it very easy to eat in airports with intuitive dieting.

This is a good day! High carb days is awesome.

When I get a check in from a client that said “I didn’t track yesterday but I aimed for my protein and hit my calorie goals pretty close” this is awesome. This is someone who understands her goals but can be “flexible” in her food!!

BREAKS ARE GOOD.. SOMETIMES.
I had a client check in and tell me. “I didn’t track at all for the holiday. I was on a float and ate some things, but kept my portions small. I enjoyed the day”

This is a time when you don’t need to track. This is a flexible dieting win! My client was aware, she enjoyed her day and she didn’t stay glued to a tracker. She is back on her normal food right away.

I was very excited to hear her experience over the holiday simply because a dieting break is good for the soul. It’s ok. On that break, she didn’t binge, she didn’t freak out or beat herself up. She woke up and went back to her plan. This is amazing.

Ok.. so I’m just not going to track and guess..This is could be a struggle with clients who are used to starting and stopping diets.
I’m not advocating this at all. Consistency wins over perfection in the IIFYM game. Working intuitively for long periods of time is for the advanced macro counter.

Honestly, I can’t even fathom not counting for a long period of time. If you reach that level greatness.. Cheers!!

If you are not solid on your macros. If you cannot hit them consistently. If you are prone to binges and see not tracking as an opportunity to eat in a surplus.. you are probably not ready for intuitive dieting. That’s ok. Stick to your journey and use the tools you have to be successful. Never give up but know that the longer you do it, the easier it will become!!

This is going to be a hard blog to write. I’m embarrassed, mortified and elated at the same time. I have not shared out in the open what has happened during my fascia blasting journey until today.

I want to back track a bit. This will be very long so grab some coffee but I will be 100 percent honest about what I’ve gone through and how I got here.

I did my last bikini competition late October 2016. I knew I would be starting my fascia blasting journey and had planned on competing October 2017. However, I realized that the only pro qualifier for my federation was June of 2017 so that cut 6 months off my fascia blasting time! I would NOT have started if I had realized that. I wanted a full year to restructure my physique. Mind you.. I am 51 years old. I feel great but I’m a next level kind of girl. I have struggled with my lower body for decades. My legs are clearly beyond bound in the below pictures.That means the fascia is really tight and no matter how lean I get, the muscles can’t be seen. It also leaves me lumpy! Having bound fascia also means I’m not getting the muscle gains I want because the fascia is like a sausage casing and there’s not room to grow.

I also struggled my whole life with lose skin on my belly.
I’m not mad about this but I don’t want surgery . I was interested in seeing if I could tighten it up.

Blasting:I sent my pictures to Ashley Black and she quickly returned a very long protocol for me which I have followed to the letter.
Yes, I am beyond bound (BB) and that is a pretty rough starting place. I have taught impact workouts for 35 years. It makes sense that my fascia is jacked up.
That tummy area is a tough area for me because when I gain inches it gets super fluffy but the skin is loose.

I have also worked with Ashley’s moderator,Kelley Zuniga. She is a competitive athlete as well and she gave me great advice for my prep. I had gone through a tough phase over Christmas where I was breaking up a lot of adheasons and felt fluffy as can be. I went from stage to loosey goosey. I tend to get inflamed when I blast. I’m not opting for a aggressive blasts. It’s not right for me.

That demolition phase was pretty hard on my brain. I’m telling you…

Did I bruise. I did for sure. But I kept going.

Nutrition:
During that demolition phase I was still really struggling with low energy and detox symptoms. I am an IIFYM girl and not a detox tea or magic solution believer. I drink my gallon of water every day . I probably ate too much over the holidays but it wasn’t much over my macros. I was pretty good this year. I’m just being honest. I do not believe in “Clean” food but I eat for my nutrition and my food is gorgeous and amazing. I had sugar and soda and I like franken food like pop chips and protein bars and Lenny and Larry’s cookies. I get over 500g fruit and veggies per day and my fiber goals are on point. Protein is high and carbs are fueling my workouts and my life. I do not believe in magic. I believe in science. #LearnIIFYM

Inner thighs. I brilliantly decided to pull my inner thighs tight while sitting on the side of the tub. I blasted them briskly and I got all the way to gravel in just a few weeks. It wasn’t long before I saw them smooth and then I had a thigh gap. I looked down and saw that thigh gap and almost passed out.

Legs.. Ok. My legs are still a mess but they are better. My hope is that I look better than last year on stage. I know I have a long way to go blasting but I’m not stopping.
I have broken up alot of stuff on my legs. I can see my quad definition now. I blast around the quads and I also am fat lysing them. They are coming a long. Still bound.. yep. But it’s better!!

Glutes Hammies: Oh boy. I’m painfully self aware of the work that has to be done in this area. That hamstring is still pretty lumpy but I’m going to town on it. My glutes are looking better. Smaller yep and not as bound up but I’m ok with this.

Just so you can see a difference in competition time.. look here.
I blasted my upper arms and rear delts too. I’m eating a lot more food in 2017 than I was eating on my ‘clean’ food diet in 2014. Overall my package is better because I’m blasting.
I can almost see my glute. I’m also blasting my “sweep” area and it is coming along.
I want you to know this.. As I have progressed, I am working on muscle activation rather than simply lifting. I train with intention. My glutes/hams are rock hard under the remaining body fat and they are becoming visible. I can feel them fire which I never could before. This is real.

This is rough. Hard to show.
Picture 1 is from November 2016. I sent this to Ashley. Picture 2 is March 2017.
The March picture is after I’ve had 4 meals and a gallon of water.
The Left side was early November in my post show reverse diet.

So this what my abs look like now. They look good all day.
No they are not 100 percent . I have some pebbles in that lower portion that was loose and it still puffs out sometimes. I’m not sure if all the loose skin will ever tighten up but I’m really willing to keep going. I’m 5 weeks out from my show in this picture.

I want to say here. I have been bullied (whatever) and called a liar my progress.
I have some great images on the web from photographers and so forth. As a fitness competitor it would be uncool to show off the pictures that look yucky. I am truthful in my business. I am a real person . I don’t sell the fascia blaster but I am interested in science and health. I’m interested in learning how my body is changing from the inside out. I also want to be a better athlete and a better coach for my clients. Science drives this train. So the reality is, we all have work to do. Progress!!

Here is a picture from a photoshoot that was 2 weeks before my last show. Mid October 2016. This is my struggle in the abs and lower body. I can usually pose it away but this pic is an out take.
This picture of me is 8 weeks out from my show. Look.. I am bending over . My abs are tighter. That’s the take away here. Perfection.. nope.. progress.. moving forward.

Blasting schedule:
Daily or every other day 5 min per body part. I do my abs 4x a week which keeps me from feeling super tired this close to my show.
I carve my abs and arms and legs, especially my quads.

When a new IIFYM client starts my program, I will typically get this questions.
“What should I eat? I don’t know what to eat”

hmmmm..

Ok.. first of all the most important step you can do as a new IIFYMer is to follow directions of the plan. Our plan starts with three full days of tracking YOU.

I ask my clients to fill out their tracker with their normal food for 2 weekdays and 1 weekend day. Looking at your normal eating habits is eye opening. It’s easy to tweak your food so it fits your macros. If you toss the entire way you eat, and are searching for food to eat, you are missing the whole point of IIFYM. EAT WHAT YOU WANT.

If you are low on fiber and protein, then you certainly can figure out how to add more of those. If your carbs and fats are way over, you are going to have to make some adjustments. Simply cutting the serving sizes for overages is one way you can modify . Weigh everything in grams.The protein bar problem.

One client told me she was really sick and tired of trying to find a protein bar that would fit her macros for a snack.

“I need a bar that is 12g protein and 13g Carbs. All the bars have 24g Protein and 26g carbs. “

Ok.. so she probably could simply use half the bar . Right?
Make it fit.

Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water!Clients start this project jumping ahead to the middle instead of following our directions.
A huge mistake is to start with a whole new menu because you “think” you have to.

WE NEVER TELL YOU TO DO THIS. Success in IIFYM comes from the fact that you can eat like YOU. The more it feels like YOU, the more consistent you will be. Consistency wins over perfection.

When you want Qdoba.. add it to your tracker and make it fit. You can use Fatsecret.com to find all kinds of food that you might like if you have a hankering.

Hacks:
AIM FOR PROTEIN FIRST.
Most of our clients come to us eating very little protein. They end up with 100g of protein left at the end of the day and no carbs or fats.

Add your breakfast first. Most of us have a favorite breakfast so put her in there and let’s see how she fits!
This is Ashley’s pancakes with Cinnamon and pumpkin. She tweaked her recipes so it fit her macros.

Add dinner or Movie time carbs nextIf you are fired up about Taco Tuesday, then do yourself a solid and put those tacos in your tracker in the morning or the day before. We call this FRONT LOADING YOUR TRACKER.

You can eat the tacos YOU want! Or what about Pizza!! Maybe you have a pizza craving!! Whatever it is.. put it in so when movie time happens you have your food accounted for.

Fill in what is left for the day!!

HACK:
Front load the whole tracker. Sit down at your PC and add the food you want to eat to your tracker for the next day. Make it fit. Take the time to do it and pick things you want.
Make sure too add your fruit and veggie requirements and your fiber too.

Then hit the PRINT button for your menu. Eat that for 1 or two days. You don’t have to track it again.. just follow the menu.

Even if you don’t want to food prep, you can still make convenient foods fit!
EAT WHAT YOU LIKE.

I did that but someone asked me to have lunch with them and now I don’t know what to eat.

That could happen and that’s why you are learning IIFYM. So move some things around in your plan so you can enjoy lunch with your friend. If you cannot fit it into your macros ask your friend to give you a days notice so you can be prepared!! You are never more than 24 hours away from what you want!!

I filled in my lunch but now I have a bunch of ‘dangling macros left and I dont’ know what to eat.

If you don’t front load your dinner, evening food and eat around that all day.. this could happen.
You can do a flex bowl if you truly can’t get it together.This is the blog on Flex bowls.

Flex bowls are a way to take the protein you have left and create something exciting and fun with the macros you have left.

I had a bunch of macros left over and I don’t want to eat anymore so I’m just going to bed.

ACK we get this quite a bit. Try harder. You need to hit your macros +5/-5 grams every day. That is your job. You are eating like it’s your job so focus. You can do it.

If you end up with 75g protein left at the end of the day.. just move on with your life. Tomorrow, figure out how to eat more protein during the day. Increase the protein at each meal or have something extra to bring your protein up. I like Laughing Cow cheese or even Kraft Shreds. Cottage cheese is packed with protein.

Really? Still have no idea? Go to Ripped Recipes.com and enjoy their recipe search.
Use your computer, NOT your phone because the filters are better!!
You can add the macros you have to work with and get recipes to match.
You can do a whole day or just a certain amount.
This game is like Tetris. You can learn something new every day and when something doesn’t work.. that’s ok. You have a clean tracker tomorrow!! So get on it!!
Let’s see what you can do.

If you are just begining your IIFYM/Flexible Dieting Journey you may be surprised to see how much protein you are going to need to eat each day. In fact, most of my new clients come to me eating very little protein so it looks daunting to try to hit those protein goals!

The question I get the most is “How can I hit my protein goals with out going over fats and carbs?”

Protein is very important to our physique goals!! We need protein to build muscle and we all know that muscle is the fountain of youth! In a fat loss plan, we eat protein to help us maintain the muscle we have!! Protein also helps you feel full!!

Legumes
Beans and legumes have some protein but the carb profile is higher, but if you can make it fit.. could be an option.

WheyWhey protein or Isolate : you can cook with this!!
Lenny and Larry’s cookies (low protein profile but worthy)
Kodiak protein pancake mix (Target)
Protein Bars like Quest or B-Up bars (check your local Supplement store for variety)
Peach Protein Cupcakes with Raspberry Lemon icing.. I tossed this in for you just for fun. Here’s that recipe. P:11 C:11 F2 for each cuppie.

Protip: Aim for protein first, Carbs second and fats last.If you aim for hitting your protein goals first, you won’t be left at the end of the day with 120g to eat!! Protein hack: You could split your protein goals up by meal.
Mary Jo has 160g protein per day. She likes to eat 5 meals a day. Each meal could contain 32g protein per meal.
100g of shrimp is 28g of protein!!

Hidden protein

Many foods you enjoy each day will have protein in them!! These amounts will help get you to your goals. Track that food!! Let’s see whatcha got!!

“I don’t like eggs or egg whites.”Ok.. I hear you. I don’t care for egg whites on their own either, but I do love Crepes, Pancakes and French toast which are all made with egg whites /egg.This is my Birthday Cake crepe. The recipe is here
Here’s a Banana Protein Pancake!!!
Protein pudding is boss.. This is at Walmart, Sup stores, Amazon.
Oh Hey.. let’s make Fish Tacos! The shells are La Tiara (4 carbs per taco shell)

Hack: Start tracking your normal eating. Look at it like a puzzle. Are you lacking in protein but way over in fatty/carby foods? Let’s start working on ways to tweak your normal eating!
How can you add more protein in and hit your other macros on point?

Our Team LOVES Taco Tuesday! Who doesn’t!! IIFYM is bomb because you can make them fit your macros!! Here are a few of our creations! The tacos above are grilled chicken !
Alicia scored this find at Trader Joes! 24g Protein! Holla!
Coach Michelle is on vacation and on prep. Her tacos are on point. That avocado!! Avocados and that wrap have fiber. That’s about 20g fiber right there!
Ashley is about 4 weeks out from her show. This is her masterpiece!

Coach Julia is 7 weeks from her show and this is her taco crunch wrap!
Melissa is 7 weeks from her show. These are her shrimp tacos! I love the lime.
These are mine. I am 13 weeks from stage. Each one of those shells is only 4 carbs.
Jen nailed her macros while eating tacos out! um.. yes please!!
Holy Mama, sometimes you need a taco when you are out. The macros on the Taco Bell Chicken Soft Taco are sweet.

Hack: If you are craving Tacos, front load your tracker with your tacos early in the day and eat around them.

Here’s my 4g Carb Taco shells.

These are in the grocery store or order online. We buy 72 shells at a time!

Melissa did a fun peperoni and sundried tomato version! mmmmmm
Debbie, who is 7 weeks out from her show created this version of the white pizza!

Tips: Pizza is an easy dinner and it has a secret bonus. Flat our or tortilla wraps have fiber.
There are lower carb wraps too. You can create your own toppings from your prep food. You can load veggies if you are into that. You can use full fat or non fat cheese depending on your macros.

You do NOT have to have 12 dry roasted almonds for your fats. You can have other fats!
Cheese has protein. Feta is a great choice too! This is all about you.

Pro-tip: Build your pizza in your tracker in the morning so you can have exactly what you want. Then eat around it for the rest of the day. You can enjoy your evening meal hitting your macros and feeling super smart!

In the pan with cooking spray, heat your onions first.
Next add the crumbles until they are hot.
Eggs go next
Put the cheese on top and put a lid on it so it melts.

You can modify anything here just adjust your macros.
If you take out the whole egg you can take off 5g Fat. I use an omega egg so
that’s a good way to get my EFAs. If you have the fat, get some real cheddar!
It’s so good!

BRO ALERT: If your coach has locked you down to Bro-city, you can still rock this meal.
Use cooked ground turkey and seasonings instead of your sausage.

The mister has been binge watching “Top Chef” so my prep has gone to level 3000.
This sandwich is the bomb and the macros are fierce! Seriously, you can use whatever you want to make your own to fit your macros but this was one I had for Brekkie!! It’s a good pre workout too.

Drop the muffins into the mixture and let it soak up the eggs.
Fry the bacon and turkey in a pan with some cooking spray.
Remove from the pan.

Put the muffins in the pan and pour the rest of the mixture on top.
Flip them over then put the turkey and ham and cheese on the muffin.
Close it like a sandwich. cover the pan so the cheese melts.
Serve with syrup and jelly or powdered sugar if you have the carbs.

A post shared by TracyHoltzmann (@iifymcoachtracy) on Jan 9, 2017 at 5:53am PST

Just an update for my competition/fascia blaster journey!
Since I changed my show date from October to June, I’m having a “HOLY WOW”
moment.

Last week was the worst week I’ve probably had in decades. Our little Kitty went missing on Christmas and we found her last week. She had passed away outside. She was only 2 and was my heart. I was a wreck. I got so many grey hairs.

I also dislocated my sacrum on NYE when I slipped on some beer at the Kid Rock concert.
So I was in terrible pain. I’m thankful my chiropractor got me on the right track. My workouts were minimal though because she asked me to not lift very heavy. I couldn’t pole at all. Tough week. I don’t like to whine, but it was bad.

My food was good though. Oddly.
IGGY!!PREP
20 weeks out now and I’m feeling much better. We adopted a new baby kitten and he is wonderful. My back is really feeling better too so I’m mentally and physically ready to start my prep with focus so I bring home a Pro Card for the Team!

Changes: Because I’m working with my Fascia Blaster and I’m working hard to fix my fascia and alignment issues I have made serious changes to my plan!

I have been blasting and got some insane results on my inner thighs. I’m still working hard on the rest but I’m seeing progress.

I have taken my workouts to zero impact. No unilateral movements, running, jumping, plyo, box jumps, back flips, burpees, NONE. I do my cardio exactly as Ashley Black told me to. I’m training so much less overall than before and getting progress. So we will see how I start looking now that I’m back on a cut.

The video above is the Pit Shark Squat. I don’t use a bar on my back anymore so this one really gets it done for me. I normally do over 200 pounds with this, but I’m still on lighter weights. I really feel this in my glutes. There are ways to do a Pit squat with benches and a Kettle bell. You can see that on Youtube. I just love this piece. Lucky for me , my gym has it!